Specimen Become Americanized! Ollie Wisdom Talks About The Shake-Up Of Death Rock's Most Glamorous Group.

Published in Rave-Up #11 (1986)
By Devorah Ostrov

Specimen - San Francisco lineup circa 1985

L-R: Kimba, Ollie Wisdom, Smeg, Tim Huthert & Gere Fennelly

(photographer unknown)

The original Specimen was formed some years ago in England. Looking like rejects from a less than B-grade horror movie, they made a name for themselves amongst fashion conscious UK club-goers. And between their image, their records, and their club (The Batcave), they gave the music press (who labeled the innovative new scene "Death Rock") plenty to write about.

When things got beyond their control, lead singer and mastermind Ollie Wisdom moved operations to San Francisco. Since all the other British members chose to stay in London, Ollie reconstructed the band with musicians from the Bay Area: Gere Fennelly on keyboards, Smeg on guitar, Kimba on bass, and Jeffrey St. Pierre (who recently replaced Tim Huthert) on drums. Once again, Specimen is going full force!

* * *

"Indestructable" b/w "Brainburst!" picture sleeve 45

(Rampant Records 1986)

Ollie Wisdom's flat resembles a Specimen show. Multi-colored crepe paper and plastic beads dangle from the ceiling; various parts of baby dolls are strewn about the floor. As we make ourselves comfy amid the rubble, Ollie switches on the tape player and the final mix of the new Specimen demo blasts forth...

Ollie: We're doing four singles right now. The first is "Indestructable"/"Brainburst!" The other songs on the tape are "Pink and Perfect," "Red Velvet Crush on You," and "Miss You" — which is the ballady one. We're also making a film for it. When 

we finish the record, we'll edit the film to it, and it should be shown on MTV. We've also got alternative videos, in which we've been doing animation and stuff, which will go out to the clubs.

Rave-Up: Are you producing the record yourself?

Ollie: Yeah, I've done all the production on it and written all the songs for it. And it's come out great! I'm really pleased with it. I've never had the chance to do that in the studio before.

Rave-Up: The previous Specimen records were all done by producers telling you what to do?

Flyer for Specimen at Perkins Palace

March 3, 1984

Ollie: Very much so! It was a very necessary thing to go through, as well. When you first get let loose in a 24-track recording studio, which costs like $70 an hour, you've got to have some idea of what you're going for. Without what I learnt from past experiences, good and bad, I couldn't have done it.

Rave-Up: Is it because you're producing it yourself that the songs sound poppier?

Ollie: I don't know if it sounds poppier. It's not so guitar-oriented; it's more song-oriented. The songs I played you are most likely going to be the singles, so they're the more poppy of the songs anyway.

Rave-Up: What made you move to San Francisco? Were you bored with London?

Ollie: Yeah, I was really bored. There's nothing happening in London at the moment. Everybody just tries to make out like there is.

Rave-Up: Why San Francisco over anywhere else?

Ollie: I would never even consider living in Los Angeles. New York presents a whole load of problems that San Francisco doesn't. And San Francisco's got sunshine. Unfortunately, the process of moving split the band up somewhat.

Rave-Up: You mean like all the original band members are still over there, and you're over here?

Specimen - San Francisco lineup circa 1986

L-R: Jeffrey St. Pierre, Smeg, Ollie Wisdom, Kimba, Gere Fennelly

Ollie: But they're all over there not doing very much, unfortunately.

Rave-Up: So, what happened?

Ollie: Well, we had just issued an EP ["Sharp Teeth"] on a brand-new label [The Trust] in England. We'd spent a year getting out of our London Records deal; we wouldn't let them make us into the pop band they wanted us to be. And I said, "Look, I'm not going to do an album with Trust," which is what they wanted us to do. Other people wanted to go for it. They said, "Stay here and do this album." I said, "If that's what you want, keep it." I don't regret it in the slightest.

Rave-Up: Did you think about not calling the new group Specimen?

Ollie: It had occurred to me to change the name of the band, but I didn't see much point. When the original Specimen played Perkins Palace in LA, Jon [Klein, guitarist] and I went out to do a radio interview just after the soundcheck. There was a queue right around the block. We walked right past this whole lot — not one person recognized us!
     I figure that they still don't really know the difference. You've got to use whatever you have to your advantage. There's no point in cutting your wrists for integrity's sake.

Rave-Up: Don't you think it's superficial for your fans not to notice the difference?

Ollie: No, not if they come to enjoy the show anyway. The people that really got into us early on, they know the difference. Some of them whisper, "It's not the same band..." Of course, we're not the same band. We're not trying to be the same band. But it doesn't stop it from being a lot of fun!

Rave-Up: The personalities of the new band members must be vastly different from the old members. Are American musicians easier to work with?

Ollie Wisdom

(photographer unknown)

Ollie: In some ways. I find that Americans are a bit more open to suggestion and a bit more excitable when something excites them. The British have seen it all before, or think they have, so they're not going to appear to be excited, even if they are.

Rave-Up: I wonder how the new members feel stepping into a sort of inherited image? What people expect Specimen to be as opposed to what they are...

Ollie: But you see, it's not like they have to step into something. They've just got to be themselves. If they tried to step into something, it would look really awkward. Because they're the right people for the job, so to speak, there's no transformation needed.

Rave-Up: I always saw Specimen as a fun, almost cartoonish group. But the British press always wrote about you guys as the leaders of the death-rock scene, which made you sound a bit doomy and dark.

Ollie: Yes, well, you saw much more what it was. People just took the name, The Batcave, and misconstrued it. It was never serious. It was never an "Oh, we're death-rock" kind of thing.

Rave-Up: Do you resent having your creative, fun ideas turned into what the press wanted you to be?

Ollie: No, not really. I mean, you don't think about it. You just carry on and try to put a few people right along the way.

Rave-Up: Have you thought about doing a club here, along the lines of The Batcave?

Poster for the 25th-anniversary 

celebration of the London Batcave
July 11, 2008

Ollie: I don't want to do anything as regular as a nightclub. It's something I could always fall back on if I need the money! But no, I don't really want to. The Batcave was great. Let it rest in peace.

Rave-Up: One last question, did you have any trouble getting through immigration? Or did you try to look "normal"?

Ollie: Even when I try to look normal, I don't! But I have a "gimp" outfit — it's my disguise to get past immigration. It consists of a pair of corduroy trousers, a little jacket, tennis shoes, a beige shirt, no nail varnish, no make-up at all, no jewelry. No "un-manly" things in my suitcase. It's such a performance, but it worked!  

Rave-Up: What if someone had recognized you?

Ollie: Even you wouldn't recognize me!